Shoe



May 1, 1923. I 1,453,950

E. PUHAKKA SHOE I Filed June 16, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1,

snow dot E1221? puimlrim E. PU'HAKKA SHOE May 1, 1923. v 1,453,950

Filed June 16, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Emil Puaixka attorney Patented May1, 1923.

UNITED STATES EMIL PUHAKKA, OF HANCOCK, MICHIGAN.

SHOE.

. Application filed June 16, 1920. Serial No. 389,375.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EMIL PUHAKKA, a citizen ofthe United States, residing. at Hancock, in the county of Houghton andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements ina Shoe, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe structures and has forits principal object to so construct and assemble the various parts ofthe shoe as to afford maximum economy in the consumption of leather orother material necessary in the manufacture thereof.

A further object is the provision of a shoe of such improvedconstruction as tominimize the time and labor necessary to cut andassemble the parts thereof, the latter operation being of such simplenature as to be accomplished entirely by machinery, thus reducing theexpensive item of handling and hand sewing the shoes.

A further object is the provision of a shoe wherein the major portion ofthe upper and 2 toe portions are constructed of a single piece ofmaterial, the central portion of the blank from which the parts areconstructed being removed and utilized to form the vamp and tongueattaching part in the finished article.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction as hereinafter shown and described andthen specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawingsillustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 rep-resents a perspective view of a shoe constructed inaccordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 represents a plan view of the relatively small blank constitutingthe vamp which is cut from the main blank.

Fig. 3 represents a plan view of the reinforce for the heel portion ofthe shoe.

Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the main blank from which the shoeupper and toeportions are formed.

Fig. 5 represents a plan view of the blank forming a part of the shoeupper, and,

Fig. 6 represents a plan view of the blank of the shoe tongue.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein similar reference numeralsdesignate corresponding parts throughout the 55 several views, thenumeral 5 indicates gen- .ing. Subsequent to properly shaping. the

erally the main blank from which the major portion of the shoe upper isconstructed. As is clearly evident by an inspection of Fig. 4:, thisblank is of substantially rectangular form thus affording extremeeconomy in cutting the blanks from hide, owing 'to the v, number ofblanks which may be obtained therefrom. The medial portion of the blank1s cut out as indicated at 6 and the cut out portion connectswith a slit7 extending to the edge of the blank and forming the relatively long andshort side sections 8 and 9, respectively, of the upper. The corner ofthe blank diagonally opposite the long side section 8 is curved as at 10or rounded so that when the material of the blank is curved at therounded corner 10 the shoe toe 11 is provided, the cut out portion 6 andslit 7 forming a vamp and tongue receiving openblank to a desired form,such as suggested in Fig. 1, the meeting edges 11 and 12 of the long andshort sections 8 and 9, respectively, are sewed or otherwise permanentlysecured together at the back of the shoe structure.

An extension 13 is secured to the top edge of the relatively short sidesection 9 which edge terminates a considerable distance above the ankleof a foot,.and this extension is secured along its rear edge to thevertical rear edge 11 of the opposite side section 8, the top edge ofthe extension 13 lying. in'the horizontal plane ofthe top edge of thesection 8 to provide a shoe of conventional design. The adjacentfrontedges of the side sections 8 and 9 and the extension 13 areprovided with eyelets or other types of lacing devices 14 whereby theflaps or front edges of the shoe may be secured together in the usualmanner.

The cut out portion 6 of the main blank is of such form as to providethe proposed shoulders 15 which, when the blank is properly formedprovide the overhanging portions 16 in which several of the lacingeyelets 14: are secured.

The piece of material 17 out out from the main blank constitutes the"blank for the shoe vamp. The flaps or lateral extensions 18 which areformed on the vamp blank' 17 by forming the shoulders 15 on the mainblank are removed along thelines 19 and likewise the curved or taperedopposite terminal of the blank 17 is out along the lines 20, alongitudinal slit 21 being formed inwardly from the end carrying theflaps or side extensions 1.8 for [convenience in inserting the vamp inthe out out portion of the toe.

The vamp thus formed is positioned in the cut out portion of the mainblank and is sewed or otherwise secured therein as inclicated at 22 theline of stitching being extended inwardly 01 the overhangs 16 to per-Init the shoe lace to be conveniently inserted through the eyelets let.

The tapered tongue piece 23 is stitched or otherwise secured along thedotted lines 24 to the front edges of the side sections 8 and 9 and alsoto the extension 13, the bottom of the tongue piece being secured to thetapered upper extremity of the vamp 11";

A heel reinforcing member 25 the blank of which is illustrated. in Fig.3, is preterably positioned over the heel portion oi the shoe to protectthe latter against wear and the usual heel and sole 26 and 27 aresecured to the shoe upper in any preferred manner. It will be clearlyapparent that. the shoe construction as hereinbefore described is devoidof any side seams at the heel portion of the upper, excepting at a pointabove the anlrle of the foot, therefore the liability of the bursting ofthe shoe due to the weakening of seams at the toe or heel portion iselimi.-'

nated.

What I claim is:

in a high-pae shoe, an upper of a height to extend over the calf oi theleg oi the wearer and formed or a pair of side portions of unequallength having projecting from the forward termini thereof a continuousseamless toe portion extending inwardly and rearwardly with respect tothe front of the shoe and of less width than the forward termini of saidside portions, that side portion or" shorter length of a length toextend a considerable distance above the ankle oi the wearer, anextension secured to the upper edge of and projecting upwardly from thatside portion of shorter length and of a length to provide the sideportions oi? a shoe of equal length, a vamp having its lower portioncentrally split, said split lower portion of said vamp completely eretended against and secured to the inner face of said toe portion and thereinainingportion' of said vainp extended rearward'iy rem the toeportion and between and secured-to the inner face of the lower part ofthe side portions, and a tongue secured to the upper end of the vamp andof a length to extend to the top of the side portions. V

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature hereto.

EMIL PUHAKKA.

